At long last, curbside recycling is coming for residents of unincorporated Osceola County. On Monday, county commissioners voted to extend the county's agreement with Waste Management Inc. of Florida for residential trash pickup. Under the new deal, which takes effect July 30, unincorporated Osceola will have a weekly pickup for recyclables. The agreement with Waste Management runs through Sept. 30, 2018. Residents of the cities of St. Cloud and Kissimmee already have recycling pickup.

After a car's check-engine light winks on for the last time, there's a place in south Orange County where the expired vehicle can be reduced to fist-sized chunks of unrecognizable metal in less time than it takes to read this sentence. The action end of this metal-salvaging operation on Landstreet Road sounds like a mechanical dog chewing an iron bone, steams with the heat of metal being ripped apart and suggests a post-apocalyptic scene. Now and then a tire explodes, with the boom muffled by heavy shielding.

Osceola leaders want to brand their county as green in the hope that it will help attract renewable-energy industries. But one thing could get in the way of selling that image: the lack of curbside recycling. "We can't be green without curbside recycling," said County Commissioner Brandon Arrington, who is championing the cause. "We're the only Central Florida community that doesn't do this. We need to move forward." Arrington has been seeking the support of local organizations and is scheduled to speak about recycling at noon today at an Osceola League of Women Voters forum at Broadway Pizza, 403 Broadway in downtown Kissimmee.

Beginning Monday, residents of Osceola County will finally have access to curbside recycling. And it comes with a reward program aimed at boosting participation. The new weekly recycling pickups affect about 57,000 residential customers in unincorporated parts of the county. Residents of Kissimmee and St. Cloud already have recycling pickup. Customers have been given bins in which they can put all their recyclables — paper, metals, cardboard, glass — without having to separate by type.

St. Cloud officials mailed 12,700 surveys this month to gauge residents' preferences about curbside recycling, a service the city doesn't now offer. Residents are asked whether they want curbside recycling and, if so, how they want it. The options are getting the service once a week for an additional $2 a month, in combination with twice-weekly garbage collection, and substituting recycling for one of the two garbage collections at no cost. —Jeannette Rivera-Lyles

Take it to the curb, Kissimmee. Starting in October, Kissimmee will join Osceola County's other incorporated city, St. Cloud, in offering curbside recycling to residents. On Monday, Kissimmee announced its plan to pick up paper, plastics and glass for recycling, following St. Cloud's announcement in May. Most Central Florida communities have offered curbside recycling for years. The two cities will roll out recycling on the same date — Oct. 3 — and work together on promoting the new service, said Kissimmee spokesperson Carla Banks.

Residents of unincorporated Osceola County will have to wait a while longer for curbside recycling even though the county's two cities, Kissimmee and St. Cloud, are starting this month. County commissioners on Monday heard a recycling pitch by Waste Management, the company that picks up garbage in the unincorporated area. But the presentation was short on details because of continuing negotiations, and County Manager Don Fisher told commissioners he would need more time to make a recommendation.

St. Cloud will become the first jurisdiction in Osceola County to offer curbside recycling collection. The new service, which will start in October, is part of the city's effort to become more environmentally friendly. It recently was awarded a "Green City" designation by the Florida Green Building Coalition. Osceola lags other Central Florida counties, all of which have had recycling programs for years. Residents of unincorporated Osceola and the city of Kissimmee don't have curbside pickup, although there are several drop-off stations where they can take recyclables.

The first of Lake County's towns to implement a curbside recycling program was Howey-in-the-Hills, which introduced it to its 275 households in April 1988.Next came Tavares, which offered curbside recycling in certain parts of the city in September 1988 and expanded the service citywide last summer. Tavares also offers a compost pickup service.In April 1990, Lake County began offering curbside recycling to residents of its unincorporated areas. County officials also helped the cities of Mount Dora and Leesburg set up their own curbside recycling programs, which were established in October.

MONTVERDE - The Town Council and Lake County solid waste officials met to talk trash - and began discussion of a possible curbside recycling program in Montverde.Don Post, director of solid waste management services for Lake, made a presentation to the council Tuesday night on the benefits of recycling, which could include revenue sharing with the town.Money from selling recycled newsprint, glass and cans could be used for Montverde parks and recreation, he said.Last fall the county put two recycling collection bins near City Hall as a test to see how receptive Montverde residents would be to recycling, Post said.

At long last, curbside recycling is coming for residents of unincorporated Osceola County. On Monday, county commissioners voted to extend the county's agreement with Waste Management Inc. of Florida for residential trash pickup. Under the new deal, which takes effect July 30, unincorporated Osceola will have a weekly pickup for recyclables. The agreement with Waste Management runs through Sept. 30, 2018. Residents of the cities of St. Cloud and Kissimmee already have recycling pickup.

Residents of unincorporated Osceola County will have to wait a while longer for curbside recycling even though the county's two cities, Kissimmee and St. Cloud, are starting this month. County commissioners on Monday heard a recycling pitch by Waste Management, the company that picks up garbage in the unincorporated area. But the presentation was short on details because of continuing negotiations, and County Manager Don Fisher told commissioners he would need more time to make a recommendation.

Take it to the curb, Kissimmee. Starting in October, Kissimmee will join Osceola County's other incorporated city, St. Cloud, in offering curbside recycling to residents. On Monday, Kissimmee announced its plan to pick up paper, plastics and glass for recycling, following St. Cloud's announcement in May. Most Central Florida communities have offered curbside recycling for years. The two cities will roll out recycling on the same date — Oct. 3 — and work together on promoting the new service, said Kissimmee spokesperson Carla Banks.

St. Cloud will become the first jurisdiction in Osceola County to offer curbside recycling collection. The new service, which will start in October, is part of the city's effort to become more environmentally friendly. It recently was awarded a "Green City" designation by the Florida Green Building Coalition. Osceola lags other Central Florida counties, all of which have had recycling programs for years. Residents of unincorporated Osceola and the city of Kissimmee don't have curbside pickup, although there are several drop-off stations where they can take recyclables.

St. Cloud officials mailed 12,700 surveys this month to gauge residents' preferences about curbside recycling, a service the city doesn't now offer. Residents are asked whether they want curbside recycling and, if so, how they want it. The options are getting the service once a week for an additional $2 a month, in combination with twice-weekly garbage collection, and substituting recycling for one of the two garbage collections at no cost. —Jeannette Rivera-Lyles

Osceola County commissioners on Monday will consider adding curbside recycling to trash pickup routes. Residents of unincorporated Osceola now take their recyclables to a handful of drop-off points throughout the county. In the past, county officials have cited cost as the main reason that Osceola lacks curbside recycling. Commissioner Brandon Arrington , who has been pushing for a more convenient way to recycle, said residents want to see such a program in place. —Jeannette Rivera-Lyles

As the city's superintendent of solid waste, Leonard Marion extols the virtues of recycling to schoolchildren throughout the city. It's good for the environment, he tells kids, drawing a garbage-filled planet to emphasize the consequences of not recycling.Yet, the City Council on Thursday night might put a lid on Marion's talks if St. Cloud decides to junk its model curbside recycling program.Council member Chuck Cooper says curbside recycling costs the city too much money - $330,000 was budgeted this year.